Your finance function should create value, not just report on it
25 years building finance operations that survive due diligence and create value at exit. Fast close, reliable reporting, robust controls. And a team that runs it all after I leave.
Sound familiar?
20+ Day Closes
If your month-end close is still measured in weeks, your operating partners are flying blind. 41% of CFOs say less than a quarter of their finance processes are digitised. It shows.
EY CFO Survey, 2025AI Readiness Gap
Everyone's talking about AI in finance. But 92% of companies lack AI-ready data, and 42% have already abandoned their AI initiatives. The tools aren't the problem. The foundations are.
Gartner Finance Research, 2025Exit Value at Risk
Finance function weaknesses cost real money. Vendor due diligence routinely knocks 10-15% off offer prices. By the time you're in the data room, it's too late to fix.
PwC M&A Integration SurveyTalent Crisis
Most mid-market finance teams are understaffed by 50-75%. Good people, stretched impossibly thin, doing their best with what they've got.
Heidrick & Struggles PE Report, 2025Three principles. Every engagement.
After 25 years of building and fixing finance functions, these are the commitments I hold myself to. Every time.
Build the machine, train your people, then leave
I'm not interested in creating dependency. Every process I build comes with proper documentation, hands-on training, and a team that fully owns it. The real measure of my work is what happens after I've gone.
Quick wins from Week 2, transformation by Week 12
PE sponsors don't wait, and frankly neither do I. The diagnostic always surfaces improvements we can implement straight away. Your board sees tangible progress from month one, not a roadmap promising progress by month six.
Speak PE, not accounting
EBITDA impact, exit readiness, multiple expansion. That's the language I use because that's what matters to you. The finance function exists to serve the business strategy, and I never lose sight of that.
From diagnostic to exit-ready
Finance Diagnostic
Before you can fix anything, you need to see it clearly. I spend 2-3 weeks inside your finance function and give you a clear picture of where things stand and what to prioritise.
Learn moreExit-Ready Transformation
The full programme. I rebuild your finance operations to the standard PE sponsors expect: fast close, reliable reporting, robust controls, and a team equipped to maintain it.
Learn morePost-Acquisition Integration
The deal's done. Now the finance functions need to become one. I've done this enough times to know where the real friction is, and it's usually not the systems.
Learn moreAI Readiness
Before you spend six figures on AI tools, spend a few weeks finding out if your data can actually support them. I'll give you a straight answer and a plan for what to fix first.
Learn moreTrusted by founders, finance directors, and programme leads
"She asks the right questions, pressure-tests assumptions, and turns ambiguity into clear direction. What really differentiates Anna is her leadership. Her impact goes beyond financial outcomes; she improves how teams work together and how decisions get made."
"Anna delivers tangible results because she fully understands the tactical and strategic perspectives of programme financial management. Her assistance with scenario planning and well-structured financial modelling was invaluable in securing early stakeholder buy-in and investment committee support."
"As a first-time founder I didn't know what I didn't know about finance, investments, grants, VCs, reporting and taxes. I'd have been completely lost without Anna. She can build the foundations, secure the capital, partner on strategy, and execute the exit. Most finance professionals can do one of those well. Anna does all four."
I'm Anna. I've spent 25 years inside finance functions.
I've built them from scratch, transformed the ones that weren't working, and got them through exit. I'm not an advisor who hands you a report and wishes you luck. I sit in the chair, own the numbers, and build something your team can run without me.
Five phases from diagnosis to exit-ready
Diagnose
Weeks 1-3I sit inside your finance function and build a clear picture of where things stand. No surveys, just real observation, real data, real findings.
Build
Weeks 4-10The foundations phase. New chart of accounts, close process, controls, reporting — everything the rest of the transformation depends on.
Accelerate
Weeks 11-16Now we make it fast. Close optimisation, parallel workflows, automation where it makes sense. This is where the 5-day close happens.
Future-Proof
Weeks 14-20Operations are solid. Is your finance function ready for AI? I assess the reality, build a governance framework, and upskill your team.
Exit-Ready
Weeks 18-24Due diligence preparation, data room, financial narrative for buyers. Your finance function tells a value-creation story that holds up under scrutiny.
From the field
The Fractional CFO Model: An Honest Assessment of When It Works and When It Doesn't
I've been doing fractional CFO work for over a decade. This isn't a sales pitch for the model. It's an honest look at where it creates real value, where it falls short, and how to structure an engagement so it actually works.
Read moreEU AI Act: What Finance Leaders Need to Know Before August 2026
The compliance deadline is five months away. Here's a practical guide to what the EU AI Act means for finance teams, which AI use cases are high-risk, and three things to do this quarter.
Read moreWhy 80% of AI Projects in Finance Fail (And What to Fix First)
The technology works fine. The data doesn't. Here's what 25 years of building finance functions has taught me about why AI initiatives actually stall.
Read moreLet's talk about where your finance function really stands
30 minutes, no pitch, no obligation. Just an honest conversation about what's working, what isn't, and whether I can help.
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